Chrysanthemum plant named `Cleagar ng1`

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named (&#39;Cleagar ng1&#39;), characterized by its uniform plant habit, vigorous and upright growth habit; pompon inflorescences; bi-colored inflorescence appearance with red bronze adaxial ray floret surfaces and pale gold abaxial ray floret surfaces; small, but numerous inflorescences per plant; numerous ray florets per inflorescence; and good garden performance.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of garden Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora and referred to by the cultivar name `Cleagar ng1`.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor in Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom. The objective of the breeding program was to create new garden Chrysanthemum cultivars having desirable inflorescence colors and good garden performance.

The new cultivar originated from a cross made by the inventor of the commercial cultivar `Bravo` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,888) as the female, or seed, parent with the proprietary selection 10/GM/94 as the male, or pollen, parent.

The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken at Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of `Cleagar ng1`. These characteristics in combination distinguish `Cleagar ng1` as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Uniform plant habit, vigorous and upright growth habit.

2. Pompon inflorescences.

3. Bi-colored inflorescence appearance with red bronze adaxial ray floret surfaces and pale gold abaxial ray floret surfaces.

4. Small, but numerous inflorescences per plant.

5. Numerous ray florets per inflorescence.

6. Good garden performance.

The cultivar `Cleagar ng1` has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

In side-by-side comparisons in Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom, under commercial practice, plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more upright, retain ray floret color longer and flower later than plants of the female parent, the cultivar `Bravo`. In addition, plants of the new Chrysanthemum have smaller pompon inflorescences whereas plants of the cultivar `Bravo` have larger decorative-type inflorescences. In the same comparisons, plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more upright, less dense, not as freely branching and flower earlier than plants of the male parent, the proprietary selection 10/GM/94. In addition, plants of the new Chrysanthemum have red bronze pompon inflorescences whereas plants of the proprietary selection 10/GM/94 have yellow daisy-type inflorscences.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to the cultivar Dark Grenadine (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,632). However, in side-by-side comparisons conducted in Oxnard, Calif., under commercial practice, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar `Dark Grenadine` in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are denser, more uniform and more vigorous than plants of the cultivar `Dark Grenadine`.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have pompon inflorescences whereas plants of the cultivar `Dark Grenadine` have decorative-type inflorescences.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have smaller inflorescences but more inflorescences per flowering stem than plants of the cultiavar `Dark Grenadine`.

4. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum have a more striking bi-color appearance with darker red-bronze adaxial surface color and more intense gold abaxial surface color compared to plants of the cultivar `Dark Grenadine`.

5. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have more upright, longer and stronger peduncles than plants of the cultivar `Dark Grenadine`.

A detailed comparison of plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the cultivar `Dark Grenadine` appears in Chart A at the end of the specification.

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproduction of this type.

The first photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering 16.5-cm container of `Cleagar ng1` with one cutting in the container.

The second photograph comprises a close-up view of five leaves at different stages of development and a fully opened inflorescence.

Foliage and floret colors in the photographs may appear different from the actual colors due to light reflectance.

In the following description, color reference are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Oxnard, Calif., under commercial practice in a glass-covered greenhouse with average night temperatures of 18C, average day temperatures of 30C, and light levels of 2,000 (cloudy conditions) to 9,000 (sunny conditions) footcandles.

After sticking unrooted cuttings of the new cultivar, plants received 4 weeks of long day/short nights followed by short day/long nights until flowering. Measurements and numerical values represent ranges or averages for six typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar `Cleagar ng1`.

Commercial classification: Garden Chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.--Dendranthema grandiflora commercial cultivar `Bravo` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,888).

Male, or pollen, parent.--Dendranthema grandiflora proprietary selection 10/GM/94.

Propagation:

Type.--Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to rooting.--10 to 12 days with soil temperatures of 20C.

Rooting habit.--Fine, fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.--Perennial herbaceous garden plant. Uniform in plant habit, vigorous and medium in height, stems upright.

Plant height.--About 25 cm.

Lateral branch length.--About 20 cm.

Quantity of lateral branches after removal of apical meristem.--Usually 3 to 4.

Stem color.--147C.

Foliage description.--Number of leaves per plant: About 50. Number of leaves per lateral branch: About 12. Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Leaf size, fully expanded: Length: About 5 cm. Width: About 3.6 cm. Leaf apex: Rounded apiculate. Leaf base: Attenuate. Leaf margin: Palmately lobed. Leaf texture: Abaxial and adaxial surfaces slightly pubescent, smooth and dull. Veins prominent on abaxial surface. Petiole length: About 2.2 cm. Color: Young foliage adaxial surface: 147A. Young foliage abaxial surface: 147B. Fully expanded foliage adaxial surface: 147A. Fully expanded foliage abaxial surface: 147B. Venation adaxial surface: 147C. Venation abaxial surface: 147B. Petiole: 147C.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.--Pompon inflorescence form. Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage, arising from leaf axils. Disc and ray florets arranged acropetally on a flat capitulum.

Flowering response.--Under natural conditions, plants flower in the autumn. Inflorescence initiation and development can be induced under short day/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Plants exposed to 3 to 4 weeks of long day/short night conditions after sticking followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditions, flower about 49 days later.

Quantity of inflorescences.--About 8 inflorescences per flowering stem.

Inflorescence size.--Diameter: About 3 cm. Depth (height): About 1.4 cm. Diameter of disc: About 2 mm.

Opening inflorscences.--Bud shape: Spherical. Bud size: Length: About 7 mm. Width: About 9 mm. Bud color: 185A.

Ray florets.--Shape: Cordate, short tube at proximal end with spoon tip. Size: Length: About 1.2 cm. Width: About 4.5 mm. Apex: Tri- or quad-dentate with one deep notch. Base: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, matte and glabrous. Aspect: Slightly erect. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 145. Color: When opening, adaxial surface: 179A. When opening, abaxial surface: 161B. Mature, adaxial surface: 181B. Mature, abaxial surface: 161B. Fading to: 181C.

Disc florets.--Shape: Tubular. Size: Length: About 3 mm. Width: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence: About 5. Color: Immature: 154D. Mature: 154D.

Peduncle.--Aspect: Strong and angled 30° to 40° to the stem. Length: First peduncle: About 4.6 cm. Fourth peduncle: About 8.2 cm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 147C.

Reproductive organs.--Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anther color: 12A. Pollen: Moderate, 12A in color. Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets. Style color: 154C.

Disease resistance: Under commercial greenhouse and garden conditions, plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not demonstrated resistance, tolerance nor susceptibility to diseases common to Chrysanthemums.

Seed production: Seed production has not been observed.

    ______________________________________                                         CHART A                                                                                                     `DARK                                             CHARACTERISTIC  CLEAGAR NG1  GRENADINE`                                        ______________________________________                                         PLANT SHAPE     Upright      Upright, rangy                                    GROWTH HABIT    Medium       Medium to tall                                    GROWTH RATE     Vigorous     Moderate                                          QUANTITY OF LEAVES                                                                             About 12     About 13                                          PER LATERAL BRANCH                                                             LEAF LENGTH     About 5 cm   About 4.6 cm                                      LEAF WIDTH      About 3.6 cm About 4 cm                                        PETIOLE LENGTH  About 2.2 cm About 1.9 cm                                      QUANTITY OF     About 8      About 5                                           INFLORESCENSES PER                                                             LATERAL STEM                                                                   INFLORESCENCE   About 3 cm   About 5.2 cm                                      DIAMETER                                                                       INFLORESCENCE DEPTH                                                                            About 1.4 cm About 1.8 cm                                      BUD COLOR       185A         48B                                               RAY FLORET      Short tube and                                                                              Flat                                              APPEARANCE/ASPECT                                                                              spoon-tipped,                                                                  slightly erect                                                 RAY FLORET SHAPE                                                                               Cordate      Spatulate                                         RAY FLORET APEX Tri- or quad-dentate                                                                        Mostly rounded                                                    with one deep notch                                                                         with minute                                                                    indentations                                      RAY FLORET LENGTH                                                                              About 1.2 cm About 2.5 cm                                      RAY FLORET WIDTH                                                                               About 4.5 mm About 8 mm                                        RAY FLORET COLOR,                                                                              179A         180B                                              WHEN OPENING, ADAXIAL                                                          RAY FLORET COLOR,                                                                              161B         24D                                               WHEN OPENING, ABAXIAL                                                          RAY FLORET COLOR,                                                                              181B         42D                                               MATURE, ADAXIAL                                                                RAY FLORET COLOR,                                                                              161B         23D                                               MATURE, ABAXIAL                                                                RAY FLORET COLOR                                                                               181C         37A                                               FADING TO                                                                      NUMBER OF RAY FLORETS                                                                          About 145    About 195                                         PER INFLORESCENCE                                                              DISC FLORET COLOR,                                                                             154D         1D                                                IMMATURE                                                                       DISC FLORET COLOR,                                                                             154D         1D                                                MATURE                                                                         PEDUNCLE LENGTH, FIRST                                                                         About 4.6 cm About 3.8 cm                                      PEDUNCLE LENGTH,                                                                               About 8.2 cm About 5.5 cm                                      FOURTH                                                                         PEDUNCLE STRENGTH                                                                              Strong       Moderate to weak                                  PEDUNCLE ANGLE TO                                                                              30 to 40°                                                                            About 40°                                  STEM                                                                           PEDUNCLE COLOR  147C         146D                                              ANTHER COLOR    12A          14B                                               POLLEN COLOR    12A          14B                                               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It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named `Cleagar ng1`, as illustrated and described. 